The thermometer on my car read 14 degrees, but the sun was shining in a light blue sky as I drove into the small parking area at the intersection of Lower and Upper Hollow Roads in Dorset. A running friend earlier in the morning told me there was a brisk north wind so I pulled on a fleece neck warmer that fits over my nose and added a hat for extra warmth.
The Hollow is a favorite just-under-5-miles mostly dirt road loop located in one of the highest valleys of the Taconic Mountain range in southwestern Vermont. Walkers and runners love the Hollow for it's quiet beauty and rolling hills. There's very little traffic, especially in the winter when the vast majority of the second-home owners spend their time in warmer climates.
There's a big debate about which direction to properly run the Hollow: Lower Hollow Road, with it's 2 mile long gradual uphill first? Or tackle Upper Hollow with it's rolling hills and then enjoy a long downhill on Lower Hollow? I opted to start on Lower Hollow so the wind would be at my back. Lower Hollow crests hills in the middle of open farmland, providing a beautiful view across the valley to Upper Hollow. Dust clouds swirled in front of me, and I was glad for my sun glasses to protect my eyes from the wind, dusty grit, and sun.
Today was a first: not one car passed me as I ran along the dusty road. The wind howled at my back, making me think that a large pick-up truck or perhaps one of the heating oil trucks was coming up behind me. As I glanced back over my shoulder, all I saw was my shadow and the tops of the bare trees bending in the wind. I found myself paying attention to the sounds: the creaking of old oak and maple trees, dried brown leaves skittering along the road, and every so often the jingling of the bells from a December 5K race stilled tied to my shoes.
I made the sharp turn onto Upper Hollow Road, the wind blasting in my face, slowing my pace as I tucked my chin and kept churning my legs to move forward. Just a bit further, I thought, and I'll reach the shelter of trees and the hills that drop close to the edges of the road. Where Lower Hollow follows a mostly straight path through farmland, Upper Hollow twists and turns through forested hills, offering reprieve from the wind.
I enjoyed the shelter of Upper Hollow and the pattern of shadows from the trees crossing the road in front of me. At time I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. You know when the roller coaster gets to a steep uphill section, it slows down and you can hear the wheels clicking into the cogs, pulling you up to the top? At the very top there's a slight hesitation, and then the roller coaster screams down the other side until it slows once again as it reaches the next steep section. I imagined myself as a roller coaster, downshifting and slowing my pace to chug up the hills, pausing for a moment at the top for a deep breath and a glance around at the view, and then letting my legs turnover quickly beneath me as I sped down the road.
40 minutes into the run I realized I couldn't feel my thighs, and my cheeks were stinging due to the cold and the wind. Thank goodness for a sunny day and microfleece pulled up to just under my eyes. I decided to speed up for the last few hills and the final curve back to my car.
Most of my runs this time of year are with women from my running group, filled with talk and laughter so that often I don't notice my surroundings. Today I cherished running alone, paying attention to the sounds of my breath and feet, gazing over the valley to the scattered houses visible through the leafless trees on the other side, and watching the clouds roll across the sky. Not only was I running by myself, but I saw no other people. No traffic, no one walking outside their house, not even a dog in a yard.
As I stretched next to my car at the end of the run, a man and woman walked down the road in front of me. "Beautiful day!", they called out, the first human sound outside of my breath and the jingling of the bells on my shoes I'd heard in the past hour.
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